Beyond The Edge
by Iwishuponthestars
Summary: Reborn came to Namimori expecting two Dame students and all the complications that come with having twins as Vongola Decimo candidates. Instead, he found a coward and delinquent, and a boy who had long since broken. (Rating for the Hurt/Angst-ish parts)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Hello! My first khr fanfic on the web (God knows it's not the first one in my mind); do review to help me improve my writing! I know it sucks, but I hope you stick with me. ^^ I appreciate concrit, but please, no flames. I think it's rude and, well, just really not nice. Hope y'all enjoy anyway! :)

**Warnings: **OOC!Tsuna, possible angst (I don't know if it qualifies), my OC (Tsuna's brother) and... my writing, I guess.

**Disclaimer: **Don't own!

* * *

_Chapter 1_

Sawada Tsunayoshi pulled out a tattered notebook from his front pocket. He gazed at its once-yellow cover, an unreadable expression on his face as he fingered the brown spots that tainted the bright neon colour. His grip on the book tightened as he closed his eyes and relived the story behind each stain, recalling the number of times his fingers, stained an unsightly red, had opened and closed the small notebook, trying vainly to shut the painful memories away between the hard covers, to banish them into the once blank pages. He had failed repetitively, over and over again.

And he was failing once more.

Breathing a deep sigh, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pencil. (Thankfully, it wasn't broken; he'd had to replace four already in that month.) He flipped to the third last page of the ringed notebook, added a stroke, erased the number on the bottom and wrote the next one. 996. _Huh, the 1000th anniversary is coming soon. Gotta celebrate it somehow._ He traced his index finger over the lines on the paper, and felt the indentations on the page. _Even if the pencil strokes were erased, the flimsy sheet would be marked forever. Like scars. Like me._ He looked up into the sunset. _That's too bad, I suppose._

Once again, the brunet's expression was back to its default apathetic state, and he drew in a lungful of fresh air. The smell of newly-bloomed flowers was carried by the wind to his sensitive nose, while the evening was tinted beautifully by burning reds and oranges. He found that none of the fondness he had once felt stirred within him for what was (had once been) his favourite colour - orange.

He idly wondered if he should feel miserable. Or perhaps angry, for all the unfair treatment he had received, and was still subject to. But he knew he didn't have a semblance of emotion in him. He was a long way beyond caring; a long way beyond feeling. It wasn't like anyone would bother themselves with what he felt, anyway, so _what did it matter_?

Thinking back, he had a vague memory of once being upset over the bullying, crying to himself in a dark corner of his bedroom as silver moonlight reflected off his tears through the open windows. His mother chatted amiably with his younger brother downstairs, the cheerful chatter drifting to his ears, piercing his already damaged heart. It whispered viciously _see? they don't care at all_.

His nine-year-old self had wept all the more harder, sobs echoing back and forth in his small room, ringing in his shattered mind. Yet they had went unheard by everyone in the household, who were _perfectly_ _happy_ without him. Looking back, he had been so dumb at that time, over three years ago. He couldn't imagine ever being bothered by anything like that anymore.

As the sun sunk in the horizon, he figured he might as well get home; it was getting late. Testing out his legs, Tsuna slowly pushed himself off the ground. He winced when he put weight on his left leg. He had scraped his knee and shin when he fell to the rough pavement, the small rocks breaking through his skin. He examined his other injuries, and concluded that there would be a bruise on his stomach later (from a punch) and another one on his shoulder (a kick). Meanwhile, he had to clean up the mess on his bloody leg, as well as his left arm, which had similarly been hurt when he fell. Thankfully, it was nothing that couldn't be explained away as a simple fall (that wasn't entirely a lie) when he was walking in the park. He was known for his clumsiness, after all.

He gathered his scattered materials into his school bag as quickly as his injured limbs would allow him, and, giving a final glance to the area where a few droplets of crimson were slowly being absorbed into the ground, he tried to walk normally towards the nearest toilet. Keyword being _tried_. In reality, he was half-stumbling, half-limping, putting most of his weight on his uninjured right leg while barely managing not to slam straight into the ground.

Finally making it to the washing point, he quickly rinsed off the crimson liquid, feeling the sharp pain as water touched his wounds with something almost akin to gratitude. As the days passed, he was slowly but surely losing touch with the human within him. His ability to hurt (albeit only physically) provided some relief. He was fairly certain, though, that it wasn't quite right to be watching himself wince through a strange translucent screen.

After finishing cleaning up, he walked home carefully, his head hung low while trying to hide his injuries. (_No, Dame-Tsuna has not just been bullied again._) By then, the sky had darkened, and the pale glow from the street lights was the only thing that illuminated his way home.

Stepping through the doorway of his two-leveled house, he took off his shoes and arranged them neatly beside his brother's messy pair. ('Tadaima.' 'Okaeri.' he told himself.) The sound of careless chatter floated out from the kitchen's open door. Risking a glance into the kitchen, Tsuna saw that the table had already been cleared, not even any leftovers or scraps remain on its polished oak surface. He hadn't expected anything else, anyway. Nana must have assumed he ate out again. (It was, after all, almost 8.) The boy watched his twin and mother interact for a while and headed back to his own room, his personal safe haven, before the other brunet could spot him.

Plopping his bag onto the floor beside the doorway, Tsuna pushed the door close behind him and made his way through the mess of clothes and mangas strewn across the ground of his room, and finally flopped onto his bouncy bed. He accidentally jostled his limbs, and squeezed his eyes shut for a few moments to wait for the pain to fade. After the spots of white disappeared from his vision, he turned over onto his stomach (slowly, this time) and pulled out his iPod from its hiding place inside his pillow cover. The moment he touched his most prized possession, _something_ sped through his veins lightning fast, and his eyes narrowed. He didn't know how he knew, but he did.

Someone had fiddled with the gadget.

His mind automatically began searching for the culprit.

Was it Ienashi? No, Ienashi would not be so careful when handling the iPod. There were absolutely no traces of anyone having touched it at all. If not for Tsuna's Hyper Intuition, there was no way he would have suspected anything.

So, was it Nana? No, it didn't sit right with his intuition. Besides, he couldn't even recall the last time his mother had entered his room to do anything but vacuum the floor; she would never find something so well hidden on his bed.

But there was no one else in the house...

The brunet pondered for a few more moments, before giving up. _No matter,_ Tsuna told himself, _it's not like I care anyway_.

The unpleasant feeling in his stomach said otherwise. Shrugging it away as nonchalantly as he could manage, he plugged in his earphones, selected his favourite playlist and drifted off to dreamland.

In the end, he hadn't even needed to explain away his injuries at all.

* * *

Reborn was not at all pleased, to say the least. In fact, he was pissed. What the _hell_ had Iemitsu been doing the past few years that he didn't even notice how drastically his family had changed? Even as the head of CEDEF, there had to be some miniscule of time for him to visit Namimori once in a while. If there wasn't, he should have bloody well _squeezed out_ some time. A week, a day, or even an afternoon would have been good enough.

But no, for the past three years at least, Reborn was certain that Vongola's "Young Lion" had not deemed it important enough to check up on his family. Changes like these, after all, did not occur overnight.

Sure, Iemitsu was fiercely loyal to his Famiglia, and it was something that the hitman could appreciate (even though he was affiliated to Vongola only in about the loosest sense of the word). And yet, in the process, he had neglected his family. Reborn believed that family and Famiglia were of the same importance, and should both be at the top of Iemitsu's priority list.

After all, the man had decided to be a husband, was now a husband, and had even become a father. He was the one who chose to take up the responsibility of protecting the Sawada family, and then he had shirked it. (Taking care of his wife and sons did not just constitute of having bodyguards watching over them, dammit; mental health was just as important and it was not at all hard to see that the Sawada family was falling apart.)

And, as it so happens, Reborn was adamant about responsibility. Though he was by no means a family man, he had clear-cut principles about family. The very first one of them being: _loyalty_.

Iemitsu had only a half-assed form of it. Reborn wouldn't go as far as to say that the man had _no_ loyalty at all, since it was unmistakable that he loved his family very much. (Just the thought of the hundreds of slides Iemitsu had shown to the number one assassin and the boss of the world's strongest mafia Famiglia about his '_BEAUTIFUL wife and cuuuuuute sons_' could make said assassin groan. Except Reborn did not _groan_.) The Young Lion certainly had good intentions, but his priorities were terribly mixed up.

It was a mistake on his part, and for this particular one, Reborn would never forgive him for it.

After all, in the underground, slip-ups were often equivalent to death.

* * *

**A/N: **Umm I'm pretty new at posting stories, so if you think the rating or genres are unsuitable, please tell me!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thank you so much to every single reviewer/favouriter/follower! I was ecstatic that my story was so well received and I think my friend is sick of me spazzing out so much and so suddenly XD But nevertheless, KEEP THEM COMING! HOHOHOHOHO (Merry Christmas!~) Oh and, I forgot to mention that my (other) friend (in real life) helped to beta that first chapter! So thanks to her :)) She's really like the queen of vocab. I would tell y'all her fanfic username, but then she'll swat at me and declare me 'evil!' so I can't xD Reborn arrives in this chap; Ienashi fights Mochida! Hope y'all enjoy ^^ (There's so little Tsuna in here though... *sob*)

**Dedication:** to OwlfieOver for being my first reviewer. _Ever._ You're _awesome_! I know this isn't all that much so... here. Virtual cookie. :) *presents awesomely wrapped and utterly delicious cookie*

**Warnings:** Reborn's sadism, some violence, un-beta'ed… nothing much actually, since Gokudera the Sailor has not arrived yet :P

**Disclaimer:** Don't own! But this is a fanfiction site… isn't that quite obvious?

* * *

The next morning at breakfast, Tsuna listened to his mother and brother go on and on about one thing or another, laughing occasionally and generally forgetting (ignoring, in one case) the fact that he was there at all. They talked about things like school and baseball (_"Y'know, kaa-san, now that I think back to a few months ago, I think I've improved!"_). His mother also mentioned that she would be reuniting with some of her high school classmates a few days later, and that Ienashi would have to make his own dinner.

Ienashi would probably eat out that night; he could never bear being in the same vicinity as Tsuna without someone else around.

Suddenly, the conversation switched to a different track as Nana announced cheerfully, "Nashi-kun, I hired a home-tutor for you!"

The boy choked on his fried omelet and caught Tsuna's attention as he sputtered intelligently, "W-WHAT?!"

"You heard me, Nashi-kun - a home tutor," his mother smiled happily as though it was not all completely out of the blue, "The thing is, I found an interesting flyer in the mailbox this morning. It said 'Will raise your kid to be the leader of the next generation. Grade doesn't matter. -Reborn.' And, all he needs as payment is food and accommodation! Doesn't it sound _great_? I've never seen a promotion like this before!"

Ienashi hurriedly gulped down a glass of water to dislodge the food in his throat, and exclaimed, "It sounds like a _scam_! Besides, kaa-san, you know I don't need a home tutor!"

A new voice interrupted them - a squeaky but somehow deep voice, "With an average score of 70.2 marks for your tests, I believe you do. It is unbecoming of a Mafia boss to have such horrible grades."

Three pairs of eyes landed on the baby hitman, and blinked simultaneously. Then Ienashi sputtered another eloquent _'W-W-WHAT?!'_ while Nana moved one step beyond that, picked up the infant and cooed, "Aww, such an adorable little boy! Are you lost?"

Barely a beat later, she set Reborn down on one of the vacant seats and hurried off to set the table for one more, apparently forgetting that she was supposed to receive an answer. Nevertheless, the hitman answered calmly, "No, I am Reborn, the home tutor."

The younger twin openly gaped at him and said, "You're kidding." The older one regarded him with a blank expression, but something about him told Reborn that he believed the infant wasn't exactly what he appeared to be.

Several seconds later, as Ienashi lay on his back some distance away from his original position and heard an indignant, squeaky 'I'm not', he was inclined to agree.

"Ohh, is Nashi-kun taking a nap? But that's odd; he just woke up!" Nana returned with a plateful of omelet for the baby, successfully ruining the intimidating atmosphere surrounding the three tutor-and-tutees.

Reborn made a point to step on the brunet's face as he hopped onto one of the chairs, declaring, "Yes. He is tired, so he fell asleep and tumbled off his chair."

Nana accepted that without question, while Ienashi tried to get up from where he was flattened to the ground.

When Tsuna muttered a barely audible 'ittekimasu' and received a likewise barely perceivable nod from the tiny tutor, he felt his esteem for the fedora-wearing ...male increase considerably. Despite his physical appearance, the brunet was sure that Reborn was not a baby in any sense of the word other than his size. And Tsuna would not make the mistake of expecting him to be.

* * *

As soon as Ienashi peeled himself off the kitchen floor, he rushed to save the remains of his breakfast from Reborn's evil clutches. Downing the omelet, he realised that Tsuna had already left, and took that as his cue to leave, as well. (It happened the previous day too, so Reborn assumed that it was a routine.) Yelling a loud 'ittekimasu!', he ran out the door and hurried in the direction of Nami-chuu. This time, his mother called back a cheerful 'Itterasshai; don't come back too late tonight!' before pulling the front door shut.

Reborn, meanwhile, was walking on the wall beside Ienashi's head, deciding that he would test the younger brunet first. Hence, it was much to his sadistic pleasure when he saw that Ienashi had a little something for the school's idol, Sasagawa Kyoko, when she stopped to coo at his "cute little brother". Keeping a frighteningly bloodthirsty grin off his face, Reborn settled for a simple smirk as he declared that it was time for Sawada Ienashi to die.

Needless to say, the teen panicked, got shot, leaped up with a booming cry of 'REBORNNNNNNN' (_What?! Is that a street performance or something?_ some passers-by asked), got hit by a truck, bounced off a fence, landed coincidentally in front of his crush, and confessed to her. All in the space of five minutes.

The girl ran off with tears in her eyes because, well, Ienashi was in his _boxers_ and looked very much like a pervert right there and then. She was horrified and frightened, and it did not occur to her that the confessor could just be joking. (Really, he wasn't. Really.) This resulted in her current boyfriend Mochida challenging Ienashi to a kendo fight (_"Be at the gym at lunch, and I'll make you _pay_ for what you did to Kyoko!"_). Briefly, the brunet wondered how that would make him want to go to the gym at all. But then Reborn arrived, explained how the Dying Will bullet worked, congratulated him on his confession and hurried him off to class before he could say anything else. To be honest, though, it just took one word - 'Hibari' - and he was off like the wind.

* * *

Lunch saw the younger brunet in the gym, afraid of what Mochida would do to him but even more so of running away. He was sure that if he ran, his sempai would be more pissed than ever, and that surely did not bode well.

Therefore, with quivering knees and sweating palms, Ienashi stepped into the gym and a whole bleachers-full of students greeted his eyes. Some of them cheered for the brunet, while others yelled for Mochida to kick Ienashi's ass instead. Honestly, Ienashi just wanted to get in and out of the blasted place _fast_, and hopefully with minimum injuries.

As Mochida explained the rules of the match (_"If you get just ippon from me, you win!"_) and declared Kyoko to be the prize, Ienashi cursed Reborn silently in his head. He hadn't wanted to confess! The baby had _forced_ him into it. (With a gun, no less.) If only the infant didn't have that totally unfair and abnormal strength, Ienashi would shake him until it got into his head that the twin did not like the Dying Will bullets at all. _At all._ And getting shot was certainly not something that he considered a _privilege_.

Some extremely heavy kendo equipment was dumped into Ienashi's arms then, snapping him out of his starting-to-get-rather-murderous musings (_'I'm gonna strangle him with his own _tie_ which is no doubt very expensive and really high-quality and wait am I starting to get _jealous_-'_). He was plenty sure that kendo gear was not supposed to be this heavy, but before he could voice his complaints, the random kendo club member who was acting as the judge for the match shouted 'START!' and it was all Ienashi could do to throw on the weird gear thing before Mochida charged at him.

He soon proved himself to be sufficiently horrid at the Japanese sport. In fact, he could hardly _lift_ the shinai, much less land a hit. With a startled yelp and Mochida's wooden sword to his head, the brunet fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Soon enough, almost all of the students in the gym (even Ienashi's supporters) were yelling for Mochida to stop the match and just accept his victory, because it was becoming more and more like a beat-down than a respectable duel between fellow sportsmen. But Mochida merely ignored all the pleas and continued, still unsatisfied with the number of times he had bonked Sasagawa Kyoko's confessor on the head.

Somewhere between struggling to use his weapon and laying dazed on the gym floor, Ienashi managed to spot three familiar faces in the crowd. These three had almost identical sneers, and one of them was shaking a fist threateningly while another was mouthing something along the lines of 'get up and fight or this might just be your unlucky day'.

Gulping, the brunet tried harder than before and somehow - _somehow_ - managed to get back onto his feet. He was hurting all over and honestly didn't think his chances were too good, but he was terrified of what those three would do to him if he didn't follow their instructions. (He seemed to be feeling that a lot that day.) Simply put, he was afraid of Mochida, but _even more so_ of those mean-looking bullies.

As he desperately tried to pull his shinai into position (it had to be made of _steel_ for it to weigh _that_ much), Mochida ran at him with his shinai easily raised above his head, a battle cry of 'HYAAAAAAAAAAA!' escaping from his lips. Ienashi threw his weight backwards and, letting out a pleasantly surprised cry, miraculously jerked his weapon upwards.

And jabbed Mochida in the torso. The sempai said something that sounded like 'BLURGH', sent spit flying everywhere, and keeled over, clutching his stomach.

The black-haired boy had to be sent to the infirmary, so Ienashi was declared the winner (he had gotten ippon from the coincidental jab), much to the relief of the tired brunet. As he walked out of the gym amidst congratulations and pats on the back, he supposed it wasn't _too_ bad a thing to get shot with the Dying Will bullet, if it meant receiving the attention and praise he was being showered with now.

Also, it turned out that the shinai was made out of steel after all. (Mochida was a cheating _jerk_.)

* * *

As the younger twin exited the school gym, Reborn pulled his fedora downwards and disappeared into one of his secret hideouts to ponder over what he had observed. The hitman decided that meanwhile, he would finish up the secret hideouts and pathways that he had already begun to set up the previous day.

He recalled what he had found out about the twins the previous day. Tsunayoshi was the quiet one, the non-existent one. He suffered from bullying so severe that it was no wonder he was so broken. And _broken_ was really the only adjective appropriate enough to describe him. His dull, lifeless eyes and the defeated slump to his shoulders; the lack of confidence in the way he walked and talked and _moved_; the absence of any display of emotion other than occasional (physical) pain, and even then, Reborn got the feeling that it wasn't quite right - Tsuna was like a broken robot that had only one setting: _continue_.

Ienashi, on the other hand, was the "normal son". He struggled in terms of academics now and then, but always managed to pass his exams. He had a proper social life and a healthy amount of friends, and was even the vice-captain of the baseball team and good friends with Yamamoto Takeshi, whom Reborn instantly recognised as a natural-born hitman. At first glance, anyone would choose the younger twin, Sawada Ienashi, to be the Decimo.

But when Reborn approached them that morning, his opinion changed rather greatly, and he was reminded that first impressions could be deceiving. (He mentally chastised himself for forgetting that; it was very important not to expect anything from anyone but rather everything from everyone.) For instance, something that managed to surprise him was the fact that Tsuna had turned to look at him right at the moment that he _entered_ the room, instead of when he had begun speaking - a moment earlier than the rest of his family did, and a moment earlier than his brother did. Reborn considered for a bit; it could only be that Tsuna had the Vongola's famed Hyper Intuition, or that the boy had great skill in detecting the presence of others. Reborn believed it to be a mixture of both. Perhaps the latter had been honed by years of avoiding bullies and tormentors.

His thoughts then switched to Ienashi. This brunet was a whole different case. He seemed so _shallow_ when he met Reborn - automatically assuming that he was just like any other baby, though he was wearing a suit as expensive as all the furniture in the Sawada household added together, and a fedora. Ienashi had missed the hitman's dangerous aura, the way he held himself that was most unlike an infant, and the unmistakable _age_ that swirled deep within his onyx eyes.

And then there was the incident that had just transpired. He had not missed the exchange between Ienashi and the three bullies - Ukami Yuuko, Asa Techiban and Derutochi Garaki. Those three were feared by the whole student population (except Hibari because he was _Hibari_, and Tsuna because he couldn't feel) and were given a wide berth by everyone.

So, what was their relationship? Why would Ukami Yuuko order Ienashi to _get up_, of all things?

Reborn frowned as several possibilities ran through his mind. He soon decided on the most probable one, as a hitman of his calibre should, but it was not something concrete. He knew better than to jump to conclusions. He would have to observe his student's behaviour for a longer period of time before reporting to Nono.

But still, the Arcobaleno couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something wrong about Ienashi. Not in the shattered, off-kilter way that Tsuna was, but in a completely, _180 degrees different_ kind of way. It was as though he was only pretending to be who he was…

And Reborn could already feel the telltale signs that he was leaning towards the older twin. Just slightly, but enough. He knew he trusted Tsuna more. (Not that he trusted _either_ of them; the hitman wasn't so dumb as to trust someone whom he barely knew.) Because while the older brunet was extremely cold and unfeeling, he also seemed almost infuriatingly _honest_. He couldn't hide something if he wanted to, and the fedora-wearing baby got the distinct impression that he wouldn't _want_ to do something like that in the first place at all.

Suddenly, Reborn stopped his thoughts in that track. He had to remain objective and unaffected. It wouldn't do to take sides so early in the battle.

After all, he _had_ just been reminded that morning that first impressions could be terribly deceiving, and he was still very much in the 'first impressions' stage with his students.

* * *

**A/N:** Well... I'm not too sure but I feel that this wasn't really up to standards. Maybe it had to do with the fact that I didn't want to stop and was still typing it up at 4+ a.m. with a sleep-deprived brain. Haven't slept in the past 23 hrs... :P Or maybe it had to do with the lack of Tsuna in this chapter (I did type up that 1st chapter quite some time ago though.) Hopefully I made it up with the length, and the fact that I looked through it twice! Do tell me what y'all think, and thank you AGAIN for all of your support! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Guys... Wow. WOW. I love you all for such a great response and ...THANK YOU SO MUCH! :')

Also, I just realised that I forgot to state some things when I wrote the previous chapters, because I have mentioned them in some future chaps that I'd already written and thought I'd written them in chapters 1 and 2 instead. xD So I went back and edited a bit, but not to worry, it's things that you've all figured out already - Ienashi's the younger twin and the vice captain of the baseball team! And I actually use some of the anime canon and some of the manga one, because I've watched/read both until about the time Yamamoto arrives. :D Also, I've read a ton of fanfics in this fandom, so I may sometimes use an idea or two I got from the various fanfics. (Don't all writers do that, though?) I have no intention to plagiarise and I will _never _copy and paste from someone else's work, but if I accidentally cross the line, please tell me! :)

And this is kinda a late Christmas gift to all of y'all; hope you enjoy! MERRY CHRISTMAS~ (The server was down. Stoo-pid server T.T Glad it's back!)

**To sss: **(I usually reply (PM) my reviewers but you're a guest so...) Thanks! I'm glad you like this story so much ^^ Well, Reborn's got plenty reason to be calculative and I guess you'd find out why! Soon, hopefully... :P

**Warnings: **I'm giving up on this thing. Oh right! A bit of cursing in this chap.

**Dedication:** To my beta-reader who still refuses to let me reveal her username :P The same one who helped me with Chap 1. Thanks for ...being my beta-reader… Well that was lame. HAHAHA

**Disclaimer:** Don't own!

* * *

The next day when Tsuna left the house, Reborn hopped onto his head and settled himself into the nest of fluffy brown hair. Today, the hitman decided, he would focus on Tsuna, since he had already let the younger twin have a taste of the Dying Will bullet the previous day. He would observe the older brunet - closely, this time - and he'd be damned if he didn't find out _some_ things about Tsuna. The boy was an enigma, and if there was one thing Reborn hated, it was to be withheld information. Always being in the know was something the infant prided himself greatly on, and it had saved him and the Vongola Famiglia more times than he could count. He wasn't the number one hitman in the world for nothing.

What Reborn wanted, Reborn got, and if he didn't, he'd try and _try_ until he's dead, or everyone else is. And that day, what Reborn wanted was information on the older Decimo candidate.

As such, he took in all of Tsuna's actions eagerly, like a sponge did water. He filed away the information he gleaned: the way the boy's eyes were constantly darting around, alert but not afraid; his tense shoulders that gradually relaxed but never completely; the way he even seemed to be able to tune down his presence subconsciously (but part of the reason had to be his lack of confidence - he automatically shrunk into himself and tried to become smaller and less noticeable).

There was something that really irked the baby hitman about it all, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. And so, he thought about what he _could_ understand, but it disturbed him just as much as what he _couldn't_ understand, and that was saying a lot.

The fact of the matter was - _he couldn't shoot Tsuna with the Dying Will bullet._

It wasn't that he didn't have the ability to do it, per se, but that if he did do it, the outcome would not be favourable. While the thrill and excitement could be appreciated, Reborn didn't like, and didn't, killing for fun. He only dealt out permanent damage like death if the person had absolutely deserved it, and any kind of damage at all if he had good reason to. (He had a good reason to hurt Skull, he'd decided long ago - the stuntman really just bragged too much.)

The thing was, Tsuna certainly did not deserve to die, but the hitman _knew_ he would kill Tsuna if he ever shot him with the Dying Will bullet. That conclusion was drawn partly from the hitman's intuition (which was nowhere near the Vongola bloodline's Hyper Intuition, but still much more reliable than the average human's), and partly from his observations.

After Reborn had hopped off Tsuna's head, he had shot side-long glances at the brunet for more than a few times. Every single time, it was directed at chocolate-brown orbs, trying to identify something that would betray what the brunet was feeling and thinking. Something that would show vulnerability or strength, a healthy amount of fear or an immeasurable courage. Anything, really.

But - nothing. He saw _nothing_ at all, just the honey colour of Tsuna's irises with a slightly darker coloured rim, and the deep, pure black of his pupils. Blank; empty; dull. They flitted from object to object, street to street, but nothing flitted within them.

Again, that same feeling that irked him earlier arose, and he tried to pry it apart and figure it out. He failed over and over, and finally decided to put it away somewhere in his mind and think on it later. In the meantime, he struck up a conversation with Tsuna, hoping to discover something that would trigger his emotions or at the very least just to find out a little more about his student. (He'd disposed of the twins' files a mere hour after his arrival; they were completely out-of-date and useless.)

"Tsuna," the baby started. He received no response, but he knew that Tsuna was listening, so he continued, "what do you do after school?"

Whatever tension that had left the brunet's body returned immediately, and Reborn almost regretted asking him such a personal question. Tsuna kept his voice light as he answered, "Nothing much; why?"

Reborn was not so easily fooled, however, and he said threateningly, "Answer me honestly."

This time, his student fell silent for a while before whispering, "Bullies."

The hitman felt guilt rise up, but he reminded himself that it was his job to do this; if he wanted to help the Vongola find a suitable Decimo, one who would restore it to its former glory as a vigilante group, he had to do his job properly, even if he didn't like it. And so he listened to the gut feeling that that wasn't all, and continued prying, "And?"

Tsuna looked down, suddenly finding his hands very interesting as he inspected them and traced the lines on his palm. He clenched his fists and relaxed them, wrung his hands and flipped them. The tutor kept quiet as well, silently prompting the brunet as he fidgeted. Finally, just when Reborn was ready to give up and move on to the next question, Tsuna said softly, "I don't want to talk about it."

And Reborn respected the brunet's choice, because it was said so quietly yet firmly, so full of sincerity and bitterness. And because, for once, the infant heard a miniscule of emotion in his student's voice. It was _special_, and Reborn didn't want to brush past it like it meant nothing at all.

So he agreed and said nothing for the remainder of the walk, allowing the brunet to simply get used to and comfortable in his presence.

Ienashi hated Wednesdays. Hated them with a passion, because that day, he didn't have baseball practice.

It wasn't so much that he couldn't survive a day without the sport (he wasn't a certain baseball idiot), but that he had to join his ..._friends_… on days that he was free. And those friends of his knew the baseball team's training schedule, and thus knew that he was _able_ to join them that day.

If he didn't, well… he didn't even want to think about the consequences.

As he trudged his way to the back of Building A to meet up with Ukami, Asa and Derutochi, he prayed to whatever deity he knew that they wouldn't think it fit to bring up the fight with Mochida from a day ago. He didn't think the day (_dammit, Wednesdays_) would turn out the slightest bit decent if they were angry that he had almost been defeated by the black-haired sempai.

Turning it over in his mind, he found that it was rather ironic. A true friend would have been angry in that situation too, but for a different reason. While the three bullies were angry because Ienashi could have ruined their images, the friend that the brunet wished for and _yearned_ for would be angry because Ienashi could have gotten hurt.

It was a drastic difference, and the brunet once again cursed his bad luck. _Things would turn out well someday,_ he tried to convince himself so that he would feel a little bit better. Then his thoughts landed on his twin brother and he felt decidedly worse.

A tad bit more walking later, he heard familiar voices, groaned and prepared himself before turning the corner.

"Oi, Ienashi! You're late!" Derutochi hollered the moment Ienashi's spiky brown hair appeared in his line of vision (it was only a little less gravity-defying than his twin brother's).

"Sorry," he muttered under his breath.

"What did you say? Speak louder, won't you? Last time I checked, you weren't weak _and_ mute!" The three proceeded to laugh their hearts out, as though demeaning someone you called a 'friend' was the funniest and most natural thing in the world.

Ienashi bit back the words that he really wanted to say (_"That isn't funny at all, bastard!"_), but which would obtain himself quite a few injuries, and lied instead, "Sorry! I was held up by the teacher!"

Asa snarled, "What? You care more about a pesky _sensei_ than the friends who saved you so many years ago?"

Ienashi didn't know what to say that wouldn't anger the trio further, so he simply continued to apologise, inserting a sheepish laugh here and there while the others continued to pile cruel comments on him.

Suddenly, Ukami sneered, and the brunet recognised it as the 'I-have-a-good-idea' sneer. Whatever it was, though, Ienashi was certain it would be anything but.

"Y'know guys, I've been running out of money these few days, and I'm really _starving_ right now. Won't ya buy me some lunch, eh, Ienashi? Since we're, y'know, _friends_ and all?" The other two added in their own two cents' worth, and their errand boy thus ended up with three lunches to buy (not including his own).

And for the first time since he had met them that day, the baseball vice-captain felt somewhat relieved. Going to buy lunch meant that he would be alone and away from them for a while, and the money he would spend on the lunches was a small price to pay in return (especially since he could ask for more from kaa-san anytime; not that he spent money frivolously).

As he made his way to the caféteria and back with more enthusiasm than he should have, trying to stall as long as unnoticeably possible, he found himself wondering - once again - whether it was all worth it.

And praying that they wouldn't suddenly decide they were actually really furious about his near-loss to Mochida.

You have to understand, he never _could_ quite get the hang of Wednesdays.

When class let out, Tsuna grabbed his already-packed bag and slipped out of his classroom amidst the chaos of students trying to find their friends or club-mates for lunch. He'd long since learnt that being fast and ahead of everyone else, and making use of crowds, was the best way to avoid bullies. His several years of experience had, if nothing else, taught him ways to escape.

He pushed through the student-filled corridors, and wondered for a moment where the demon prefect was. If he had been there, there was no way there would have been so much crowding, and Tsuna wasn't too sure whether that was a good thing or not - if everyone was lining up in two neat rows along the sides of the walkway, his hopes of slipping away would fly out the window.

As it was, he managed to leave the school grounds relatively unscathed, with only two cases of getting tripped (one of which was unintentional in the mess of pulling and shoving students). The moment he set foot outside the school gates, Reborn jumped onto his head, earning only a small, startled jerk of the shoulders in response. The two continued walking in silence for a while, before the hitman realised that they weren't heading in the direction of the Sawada household.

He questioned, "Where are you going?"

"TakeSushi," Tsuna answered, not bothering to provide further explanation.

"And where's that?"

His student merely shrugged, something that made Reborn think he was saying 'you'll see'.

About ten minutes later, tutor and student stepped into the restaurant, and Reborn did see. TakeSushi was a very Japanese-styled family restaurant - the walls, floor and ceiling were made up of wooden boards, the lights were dimmed, the decorations looked to be from pre-modern eras, and the tables were filled with quiet but happy chatter. The atmosphere was warm and homey, and it almost - almost - made Reborn want to relax.

He could see why Tsuna would like this place.

"Oh, Tsuna-kun, here again?" The question wasn't hostile; instead, its owner sounded almost glad to see the meek brunet. Seemed like he was a regular customer.

"Hai. Konnichiwa."

"Konnichiwa. Who's that with you today?" The man had a nice smile, and the baby hitman immediately felt that there was something itchingly familiar about him.

"This is Reborn, our new home tutor. Reborn-san, Yamamoto Tsuyoshi." That's when it clicked. The common surname - Yamamoto. The black-haired man was the father of the natural born hitman and baseball captain, Yamamoto Takeshi.

"Ciaossu," Reborn greeted.

"Konnichiwa! Would you be sitting with Tsuna-kun today, Reborn-san?"

As Reborn nodded, he felt a little amazed at TakeSushi's owner. He was no ordinary man, the baby knew. He had asked an _infant_ a question that should be meant for someone much older, and he had expected Reborn to _answer_. He had a reaction that was somewhat a mix between Nana's and Tsuna's - laidback, but with an edge that told he understood a little, if not entirely, that Reborn was not normal in the least.

Soon enough, the two were seated with three plates of delicious-looking sushi placed in front of them (Reborn with several cushions stacked on his chair), and the brunet actually looked mildly embarrassed. The boy's expression was blank as ever, but the body posture gave Reborn the distinct feeling that had it been anyone else, the person would be blushing - hard. His eyes scanned over the food before them (_"On the house, since you brought a guest along!" "I can't possibly, Yamamoto-san." "I insist!"_) and landed on the tuna-sushi, which Tsuna seemed to be carefully avoiding looking at.

Involuntarily, the baby grinned. Really, the apathetic boy was proving to be more and more amusing by the minute. Some part of him - the sadistic part which is never quite suppressed - filed it away as future blackmail material, while some other portion couldn't help the slight fondness bubbling up within him.

One curious question from Tsuna along with a tilt of his head, though, (_"What're you smiling about, Reborn-san?"_) wiped that smirk-smile-hybrid clean off his face.

The brunet noticed, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Reborn replied, digging into his food as an excuse to avert his eyes, "just eat."

Without further questioning, Tsuna did as he was told, and the hitman struggled not to blurt out what had suddenly upset his stomach and ruined his appetite.

_Your eyes, Tsuna. Don't sound so curious when your eyes are so dull, so lifeless. You're such a horrible liar it hurts. Honest._

* * *

**Translations: (keep forgetting them)**

Kaa-san - shortened form of 'okaa-san', which means 'mother'. It's more endearing this way.

Ittekimasu - I'm leaving

Itterasshai - Have a nice trip (something along those lines)

Tadaima - I'm home

Okaeri - shortened form of 'okaerinasai', which means 'welcome back'.

Konnichiwa - Good afternoon/Hello

Hai - Yes

**I hope I didn't miss out any!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **So, it's been over a MONTH since I last updated! Sorry, sorry, I'm a horribly inconsistent updater. Well, school has started, and I'm being piled with assignments, homework, extra-curricular activities, projects, blah blah blah. BUT! I have written an extra long chapter! ^^ And it's BETA'ED! (YAAAAAAY) (My beta helped a WHOLE lot - the lyrics idea was hers.) Finally, I explain how the Decimo is selected, and I have made it different from other fanfics! :) It's not Ienashi's that being selected by default~ OH AND! I created a poll for whether there should be any shippings! It's on my profile, please go vote! :) If I decide to have any shippings, it'll only be fluff and it'll probably be 1827... probably... HAHA

ALSO, THANK YOU ALL SOOOOOOOO MUCH FOR THE SUPPORT! I mean, WOW! 60 over followers and 40+ favs! *faints* *promptly leaps back up* AND HERE Y'ALL GO! HOPE YOU LIKE IT :)

**Dedication: **My awesome beta and bestie (again) ^^ Thanks!

**Warnings: **Nothing much, I guess. Just Reborn's sadism, and mentions of bloody shooting scenes. (But hey! It's Mafia!)

**Disclaimer: **Don't own KHR or _Human _by Christina Perri (I used some lyrics)!

* * *

_Chapter 4_

_"The best liar is he who makes the smallest amount of lying go the longest way." __**- Samuel Butler**_

It was barely dawn when the Sawada household came alive, delicious aromas wafting out from the kitchen. Nana was cheerily making a bento for her youngest son, humming a song to herself under her breath. As she arranged the carrots into a likeness of the sun, she idly wondered what to make for breakfast: would Ienashi prefer pancakes or French toast?

Unbeknownst to her, up the short flight of stairs which Tsuna frequently tumbled down, another occupant of the house was up. A green chameleon-turned-phone was held in his hand, and background noises could be heard from the other side of the line (_"Flight number SA2035 to Venice, Italy, is ready for boarding."_)

_"Who do I attack first, Reborn-san?"_

"Your choice. Both are candidates."

_"Is it true that if I defeat them, I can be the Vongola Decimo?"_ The voice was tinged with desperation, with a deep longing hidden underneath the layers of roughness.

"It's true; you can."

_"It's alright if I kill them in the process, right?"_ He sounded more eager than he should have with such words coming out of his mouth, but then again, he had spent his entire life in the underworld, and while still a teen, knew far too much about the ugly side of society. It was not surprising.

Reborn was aware of the pain that was eating at the bomber slowly from the inside (though of course, said silverette would never admit it), but he did not survive in the Mafia sparing pity for every whimpering puppy. Thus, he replied with an unwavering voice, "Yes. Go all out."

Lowering the phone, Reborn clicked a button and Leon morphed back into its chameleon form. He lifted his arm and allowed his familiar to crawl back onto the brim of his fedora. An almost satisfied smirk spread across his face.

Finally, everything was back on track again. He'd let Gokudera do an assessment of the twins' physical abilities, and hopefully get recruited by one of them. (_Tsuna, pref- No, stop._) He already had the other potential guardians figured out - all except the lightning and mist. But eventually, he was certain, that would fall into place as well.

It all depended on the twins' abilities now; he would train them as best he could (he thought that with an unconcealable sadistic glint in his eyes), but a great teacher could only be successful if the student was willing, or able, to learn.

* * *

The brunet was having one of his few pleasant dreams - this time, he was lying on his back in the middle of a grassy field, a light drizzle clearing his mind, cooling but not _cold_ - when his intuition screeched.

His eyes flew open and he rolled to the side, one hand clutching onto his iPod tightly and earphones still plugged into both ears. It was not a moment too soon, for a hammer slammed into his bed where he had been just a millisecond earlier, and sent a cloud of dust flying up.

Unfortunately, his legs tangled up in his blanket and he rolled over the edge of the bed, unable to land properly on his feet. The floor rushed up and he squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the impact to reopen old wounds and send a fresh wave of pain washing over him.

But it never came. Instead, he felt fingers dig into his right shoulder, jerking him to a stop, and a sharp pain spread from his arm where Reborn had accidentally grabbed onto one of his not quite healed wounds. Somehow sensing that, the baby hitman immediately loosened his grip, before pulling the brunet upright with impossible strength. Jumping off the bed, he said, "Don't be so careless, Tsuna." Taking a few baby steps, Reborn abruptly added, "Baka-Nashi is in the bathroom now."

The tiny tutor paused; why did he just warn the brunet about that? He had also slowed his hammer just now, enough for the brunet to avoid it. There was nothing he could gain from what he had done, and the world's greatest hitman was not known for doing anything that wasn't beneficial to him in some way or another. (He did make exceptions like Nono and perhaps even Dino, but those were very, very rare.)

And again, that feeling rose up. The one that he somehow understood, but at the same time, _couldn't_ quite understand.

He quickened his pace and, sending a last cursory glance in the direction of his student's hands, exited the unadorned bedroom.

Tsuna's eyes widened a miniscule amount, but Reborn, in his haste, missed it.

* * *

Ten minutes later, at seven o'clock sharp, the trio were gathered in Ienashi's bedroom. The twins were seated on opposite ends of the bed, the younger almost unconsciously edging away from the other little by little. Tsuna, on the other hand, was waiting patiently for Reborn to begin.

The sun was up by now, casting a golden ray through the partially-drawn curtains. That single ray landed on the white sheets between the two brothers, as though even nature itself wished to separate them.

A bullet brushed past Ienashi's ear, and he jumped three feet high, a small 'eep' escaping. "Stop moving away from your older brother, Baka-nashi," Reborn ordered.

As the boy nodded fervently, more than willing to please the sadistic tutor, the Arcobaleno saw, from the corners of his eyes, Tsuna fidgeting. Could that be a sign of nervousness? Immediately, he turned to focus on Tsuna's brown orbs, but there was nothing at all within them. His hands continued to fiddle with the hem of his uniform, but his expression was as impassive as ever.

Reborn tugged on the edge of his fedora, pulling it down so that it shadowed his eyes. That boy, Tsunayoshi… How was it possible that he was only thirteen?

Involuntarily, his mind wandered to images of fear and bloodshed, screaming and running and begging for it to stop, for it all to stop, _please_, surrounding him, but no- gunshots, fires, broken furniture and corpses, red and magenta and scarlet and brown _everywhere_-

_No, no, **stop**._ STOP.

He pulled himself back to the present forcefully, pulling his fedora lower to conceal the panic in his eyes as he took almost imperceptible breaths to calm himself. _I'm strong now. I'm the world's best hitman._ _It doesn't matter anymore._ Regaining his composure shakily, he pushed his fedora up to retain a sense of normalcy. Leon crawled back up from his shoulder where it had stood just a moment before, silently comforting its owner.

Purposefully ignoring the watchful gaze of a certain brunet, the baby hitman pulled the trigger. A few strands of brown hair - a shade lighter than Tsuna's chocolate brown - spiralled in the air against the golden backdrop of sunlight. "Stop nodding, or your head will fly off," Reborn ordered. He didn't think he would ever have to order anyone to do _that_.

Ienashi started to nod again, caught himself, and settled for a meek 'eep' which could or could not have been an agreement. Had Reborn not been Reborn, and Tsuna not been Tsuna, they would have sweatdropped.

Instead, the baby pointed his gun at Ienashi and squeaked, "Read the book I gave you yesterday."

The brunet flew over to a small mountain of rubbish, throwing things all over the room as he dug for 'The Introduction to Mafia'. His older brother calmly produced his copy, silently flipping through the pages. Finally, Ienashi pulled the hardcover out triumphantly, before the cocking of a gun caught his attention.

"Now, recite the first page from heart."

Inwardly, he felt like crying 'then why did I even search for my copy anyway?!", but he gulped and tried to recall the words, "The Mafia Boss… A leader who leads-"

A shot was fired.

"I mean, I mean! Rules a criminal organisation… Able to move a number of trusted members with… with…"

The safety turned on and off threateningly.

The poor boy waved his arms in front of his face wildly, as though to fend off any incoming bullets, and cried, "Wait! Wait! I can remember this! Uh… With…"

Tsuna continued flipping, eyes scanning over the pages.

"Ah! With one hand!"

"Continue," Reborn instructed.

"Okay, okay! Don't shoot me! Um… willing to risk even his life for the family, surrounded by the respect and admiration of all… Seen as a hero by the children of the slums…"

"Oh? Is that right?" The baby hitman asked, an awfully innocent expression pasted onto his face.

Anime tears running down his face, Ienashi nodded, too afraid to protest that Reborn was the one who was forcing him to read the book, and that what would _he_ know about the Mafia?

"By tomorrow morning, I expect you to have memorised the whole book," Reborn announced.

Ienashi flinched.

Reading the expression on the brunet far too easily, the baby hitman continued, "A mafia boss is able to do at least 10 times as much as that."

The poor boy couldn't take anymore. He began screaming.

"I DON'T WANT TO BE A MAFIA BOSS!"

"Oh?" The infant raised an eyebrow - an expression that should not fit a baby but somehow did on his face, "Do you need me to tell you again why either you or Tsuna _will_ become one?"

"Please don't," Ienashi gulped. If Reborn started again, not only would it mean more time with the sadistic tutor (who knows how much longer the brunet could take?), but also that he would be late for school, and thus face the wrath of Namimori's very own Demon prefect.

But Reborn wasn't listening. (Not that he ever did listen to Ienashi anyway.) He was observing Tsuna.

The older brunet had just flipped back to the front of the book, reading it for the second time that morning. And from the way his eyes jumped across the page rapidly, Reborn could tell that he was reading and processing every word of 'The Introduction to Mafia' at an incredible speed.

"Alright then, I will explain again," Reborn said, completely disregarding Ienashi's answer.

As such, he produced the three pictures he had shown the twins the previous day from thin air , commentating in a grave tone about the gruesome deaths of Nono's three sons. Enrico, he recounted, was shot and killed in a gunfight. Massimo, on the other hand, was drowned. Federico was killed through unknown circumstances, for only his bones could be found.

Ienashi was covering his eyes, his face a sickly shade of green from Reborn's entirely too detailed description of the three's brutal deaths. (And probably from envisioning the possibility of himself dying that way too.) Tsuna had looked away politely, as though Reborn was typing a password instead of giving a presentation about a mafia boss's sons' deaths.

At length, the infant tutor moved on to explaining the manner by which the next boss of Vongola would be chosen.

"Vongola Nono is slowly growing old," Reborn stated matter-of-factly in his squeaky voice, but his tone had taken on a more serious note. "Though by no means is he weak or impotent, his body will not be able to hold out for long. A both of you are possible candidates, I was sent to train you to become suitable Mafia bosses."

The tutor saw the pained expression on Ienashi's face, and asked nonchalantly, "Do you have a problem with that?"

Terrified, his student shook his head, beads of cold sweat rolling down his face. Reborn just kicked him in the face.

"What was that for?!" he yelped instinctively, before slamming a hand over his mouth when he realised that he had spoken out loud. He flailed his arms wildly, stuttering, "N-not that I have a problem with it. I m-mean, I do, b-but I don't! I'm not trying to offend you! D-don't shoot me!"

Reborn was growing more annoyed with the brunet by the minute. The boy was so cowardly and jumpy that the tutor had to wonder how he could play baseball. Wouldn't he just run away when he sees a ball coming at breakneck speed?

"Just shut up, baka," the infant succeeded in growling with his high voice, and Ienashi clamped his mouth shut so quickly one would have thought there was an insect about to fly straight in.

Reborn felt his heart leap a little when Tsuna raised his voice just enough to be heard, and asked, "Reborn-san, are both Ienashi and I going to become Mafia bosses?"

The question was just the slightest bit curious, a false curiosity inserted in carefully to make it sound _normal_, but way too… accepting for someone who had been introduced to the Mafia world as suddenly as the twins had been. He sounded like a student inquiring about any regular school assignment, not at all disbelieving of what the teacher told him.

_I can fake a smile_

_I can force a laugh_

_I can dance and play the part_

_If that's what you ask_

Reborn moved in a flurry. Clearing his throat professionally, now dressed in a vomit green suit that seemed to scream 'I'M A TEACHER', he began to talk.

"Thank you for the question, Sawada-san," a blackboard and a piece of chalk poofed into existence behind Reborn, "I will now explain how the boss is selected when the candidates are twins."

He turned and began scribbling a child's drawing of a family tree, labelling the father, mother, and two brothers. It was probably the only thing he had done so far that fit his age. "In some Famiglias, the older of the twins is selected by default." Here, he circled one of the brothers.

"However, in the Vongola, we have decided that twins would-" he almost said 'fight', but he had a feeling that it would only discourage Tsuna from trying for the position, "compete for the position as boss. The method for that is simple. The person in charge of training the candidates - in this case, I," in an instant, he reverted to his original appearance, pointed at himself, and changed back to the teacher outfit, "will decide on 6 possible Guardians for the two candidates."

Thankfully for Ienashi, his tutor had already explained about what Guardians were the previous morning, and spared them the long lecture about the boss's role as the Sky, the different flame attributes, and so on and so forth. Ienashi glanced at the alarm clock on his bedside table. Its hands showed that it was 7.43a.m. Crap! He hadn't even had breakfast!

"Baka-nashi, what did I just say?"

The older twin gulped. "Um… you would decide on 6 Guardians to… uh…?"

A sharp kick was delivered swiftly to his very much abused face. "Pay attention, baka. Tsuna, care to tell your brother what I just explained?"

Ienashi noticed the difference between the way Reborn talked to him and to Tsuna - even his tone changed -, but dared not comment on it. Besides, he knew exactly why the baby respected his older brother more than him, and though he would never admit it, he couldn't help but agree that Tsuna deserved better than he.

When said brunet opened his mouth and began to speak, Ienashi looked anywhere but at him.

"Reborn-san would give us a list of 6 possible Guardians tomorrow morning, one for each flame attribute, and we are to get them to join our Famiglia. Whoever obtains 4 of the 6 first would be the one selected among the two of us. Also, note that the Guardians have to agree to it - forcing, blackmailing, or bribing them to join is not allowed."

"Correct. Understand now, baka-Nashi?"

The boy nodded his head fervently until he recognised the dangerous expression on Reborn's face, and immediately stopped. "I-I understand," he wisely said instead.

Ten minutes later, the twins ran out of the house one after another, Ienashi clutching a bento and Tsuna not.

Panting and gulping down breaths - Ienashi doing much more dramatically than his brother was - the two arrived in their classroom right when the bell rang. Several classmates waved cheerfully at the younger brunet, while the older faded into the background and slipped into his seat, barely attracting any attention at all.

Any relief that Ienashi felt at avoiding the wrath of Hibari Kyoya, however, was gone the moment the teacher entered, followed behind by a silver-haired delinquent, tie loose and jacket unbuttoned, revealing a red dress shirt underneath.

"Class, this is Gokudera Hayato, a new transfer student from Italy. Do take good care of him."

"Tch. Gokudera Hayato. Leave me alone." The boy sent a dark look at the whole class, only succeeding in making the girls swoon over the "bad boy", and the boys groan. And then his glare locked onto first Ienashi, then Tsuna, and it seemed to darken tenfold.

That, combined with the fact that he was from Italy, the homeland of all things Mafia, made Ienashi's breath catch. It was obvious that this Gokudera was one of the Guardian candidates, and for whatever reason, he seemed to hate Ienashi and Tsuna.

No, hate didn't cover it. He wanted to kill them.

Tsuna, on the other hand, simply gazed at the bomber with a golden glint in his brown eyes - a glint that suggested a sense of urgency boxed up somewhere deep within him, the box locked and the key long since thrown away.

It was merely a faint flicker. Not quite there, but somewhere close. Like a robot programmed to feel. A machine taught how to show emotions like a human.

_I can turn it on_

_Be a good machine_

_I can hold the weight of worlds_

_If that's what you need_

It just wasn't quite right.

He'd been that way for years, and nobody had ever noticed. Nobody had ever _bothered_ to notice.

* * *

**A/N: **

Just some translations...

Honorifics: [that I may have used in the previous chapters, or may use in the future ones xD]

-sensei - teacher

-san - the generic honorific like 'Mr' or 'Ms'

-chan - usually for younger females and children, cutesy and endearing

-kun - usually for younger boys, or tomboyish girls, slightly endearing too (but not as much as -chan)

-sama - for people of a higher "rank" (e.g. Milord) If someone uses it on himself, it is considered very arrogant

baka - idiot


End file.
